Katharine Parkes

University of Oxford | OX · Department of Experimental Psychology

Fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) workers are exposed to demanding work schedules (including extended rosters, long shifts, and night work) which may contribute to the high levels of psychological distress they report. However, existing evidence is inconsistent. To address these issues, we developed a model of FIFO work schedules and formulated three hypothes...

This research presents a model of employee behaviour related to the use of procedures in safety critical industries. A key contribution is the focus on procedure-related behaviour that is enacted when employees are engaged with their work-such as when they invest personal effort into complying with procedures and voice suggestions or concerns they...

Adherence to procedures is critical to the safety and performance of maintenance tasks; however, few studies of procedure compliance among maintenance personnel have been reported. The present study evaluated a theoretical model in which management approaches to procedure compliance were linked to compliance outcomes through user perceptions of pos...

This section examines the role played by individual coping behaviours in managing stressful experiences. First, 'stress' and 'coping' are defined, and the importance of cognitive appraisal in coping processes is noted. Different types of coping (e.g. problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies), methods of assessment, and dispositional versus si...

This section examines the role played by individual coping behaviours in managing stressful experiences. First, 'stress' and 'coping' are defined, and the importance of cognitive appraisal in coping processes is noted. Different types of coping (e.g. problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies), methods of assessment, and dispositional versus si...

Although additive combinations of age and work environment characteristics have been found to predict sleep impairment, possible age x work environment interactions have been largely disregarded. The present study examined linear and curvilinear interactions of age with work environment measures in relation to sleep quality and duration. Survey dat...

Personnel working on North Sea oil/gas installations are exposed to remote and potentially hazardous environments, and to extended work schedules (typically, 14 × 12 h shifts). Moreover, overtime (additional to the standard 84-h week) is not uncommon among offshore personnel. Evidence from onshore research suggests that long work hours and adverse...

In addition to long contractual hours during offshore weeks (14 × 12 h shifts), many personnel on North Sea oil/gas installations also work overtime, but little is known about the implications of overtime for sleep patterns offshore. In this study, the additive and interactive effects of overtime and age were analysed as predictors of sleep duratio...

Shift work on offshore oil/gas installations necessitates 12 h shifts and rapid day/night shift changes. In the North Sea, both 'fixed-shift' (alternate day-shift and night-shift tours) and 'swing-shift' rotations (with a midtour shift change) are operated. The present study used survey data (n = 775) to examine sleep patterns over 3 'phases' of th...

The paper outlines a systemic approach to understanding and assessing safety capability in the offshore oil and gas industry. We present a conceptual framework and assessment guide for understanding fitness-to-operate (FTO) that builds a more comprehensive picture of safety capability for regulators and operators of offshore facilities. The FTO fra...

Industrial Design is the fusion of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, human factors, functionality and usability of a product or system. The objective of Industrial Design is to study both function and form, and the connection between product, the user and the operational environment. The role of an Industrial Designer is to...

Industries that operate in remote locations, such as mining and construction, offshore petroleum exploration and production, deep-sea fishing, and commercial shipping, expose workers to demanding environmental, physical and psychosocial conditions. Typically, these work settings involve round-the-clock activity and extended work schedules, together...

Failures of equipment used in deepwater oil and gas production are potentially hazardous, difficult and costly to rectify, and damaging to the environment; a high degree of reliability over many years of continuous operation is therefore an essential requirement of subsea systems. Althoug h technical issues have been widely investigated, less is kn...

This document summarises findings from research studies and other sources that relate to the issues of offshore accommodation in general, and cabin occupancy levels in particular. The material is divided into three sections. 1. Formal guidelines for cabin accommodation on offshore installations in four major oilproducing areas worldwide are outline...

The remote location of North Sea oil/gas installations requires personnel to work extended duty periods (usually two weeks in duration), alternating with two or three weeks’ shore leave. As only two crews can be accommodated on board at any one time, the standard shift duration for round-the-clock production and drilling operations is 12 hours; the...

This study focused on mediating and moderating processes underlying the relationship between work hours and well-being. Questionnaire data from 292 female employees in two UK public sector organizations were analysed. Drawing on effort-recovery theory and published empirical findings, it was hypothesized that work–family interference (WIF) would me...

Current trends in shiftwork Industrial and commercial activities that operate outside normal work hours have become widespread in recent years; services such as banking, communications, transport, catering and retailing are routinely available during evening hours, and often round-the-clock. Consequently, the work patterns of a substantial proporti...

This longitudinal study examined the effects of physical activity on self-rated health (SRH); specifically, predicted interactions between leisure activity and job activity, and between leisure activity and age, were evaluated in relation to SRH. Survey data on age and leisure activity together with relevant covariates (education, body mass index,...

The work pattern of North Sea oil workers (typically, 2�/3 weeks offshore alternating with a similar period of leave) imposes significant demands on the families concerned. The effects of ‘intermittent husband absence’ were recognized in the 1980s, but little recent research has focused on the adaptation of offshore families in spite of changes in...

The prevalence and severity of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) were assessed in cross-sectional and longitudinal data obtained from male employees in the UK oil and gas industry. The roles of the physical and psychosocial work environment, and of individual factors were examined in relation to reported MSD. • Assessed by the Nordic Musculoskeletal...

The work reported here had two main aims. First, the frequency and nature of offshore sickbay consultations in relation to personal and job-related factors (including age, job type, job level and shift work) was examined in data relating to 1944 sickbay consultations. Second, the correspondence between health information derived from self-report su...

This study examines individual differences in personality and attitudinal variables as predictors of union membership, with control for demographic and job-related factors. The data were collected from gov-ernment employees in a work setting in which union membership was voluntary (N ¼ 582 males, 83% response rate). A survey questionnaire was used...

Aims: Self-rated health (SRH) has attracted research attention both as a predictor of mortality and health impairment, and as a variable which is itself influenced by social/biomedical factors and health behaviours; the present study sought to extend existing findings from community and clinical samples by assessing predictors of five-year change i...

Aim: Taking a transactional approach, the present study sought to examine the extent to which perceived work environments, and appraisals of demand, play a role personality-stressor-strain relationships. Methods: The data were obtained from a sample of trainee teachers, enrolled in a demanding one-year postgraduate programme (N= 139). Survey method...

This report addresses three aspects of work and health among offshore personnel, drawing on data collected between 1995 and 2002. • A detailed survey of North Sea personnel (N=470) working on ‘Floating Production, Storage and Offloading’ (FPSO) installations in 2002 is reported. Significant differences were found across installations and across jo...

Evidence suggests that the work environment may play a role in the elevated risk of adverse health outcomes among shiftworkers compared with dayworkers. Perceived work environment measures (physical stressors, job demand, job control, skill discretion, supervisor support, and safety perceptions) from UK oil industry personnel (N=1,867) were analyze...

Significant overweight among offshore workers on North Sea oil and gas installations has been linked to high calorie intake, lack of active leisure-time pursuits, and environmental factors conducive to weight gain. However, the prevalence of overweight among offshore workers has not been examined in recent data, and no longitudinal studies of body...

Although adaptation to shiftwork has been widely studied, little is known about how individual and environmental factors combine to influence sleep among shiftworkers. This study examined age, smoking, and negative affectivity (NA) as predictors of sleep duration and quality for 3 work phases (day shifts, DS; night shifts, NS; and leave periods, LP...

This study investigated shift pattern (day shifts versus day-night rotation) and its interactions with age, and with years of shiftwork exposure, as predictors of body mass index (BMI). Survey data were collected from offshore personnel working day shifts (N=787) or day-night shifts (N=787); information was obtained about shift pattern and years of...

The North Sea work environment has undergone considerable change in recent years, and the effects of organizational restructuring, cost reduction, and technological innovation will continue to impact on the oil and gas industry in the future. In these changing circumstances, the health, safety, and productivity of the North Sea workforce is an issu...

Survey participants (N=175) were drawn from six branches of a major British supermarket chain. Employees from three branches, who had been selected for transfer to new stores, were surveyed before and after relocation to examine the impact of this transition on individual well-being. A comparison sample of employees, drawn from similar stores but n...

This article examines the potential confounding of observed relations between shiftwork and health outcomes by differences in the jobs typically carried out by shiftworkers and dayworkers. Objective factors (daywork vs. day/night shiftwork and job type) and work perceptions (job demand, discretion, social support, and physical stressors) were analy...

This article examines the potential confounding of observed relations between shiftwork and health outcomes by differences in the jobs typically carried out by shiftworkers and dayworkers. Objective factors (daywork vs. day/night shiftwork and job type) and work perceptions (job demand, discretion, social support, and physical stressors) were analy...

This report examines injuries on offshore oil and gas installations in relation to temporal and occupational factors. Three databases were analysed. One data set was provided by the HSE Offshore Safety Division, while the two additional data sets were made available from the records of large multi-national oil and gas companies. The data sets prov...

In recent years, the North Sea oil and gas industry has been exposed to widespread change, including organizational restructuring, "down-sizing", and increased safety regulation. This article reviews the literature on psychosocial stress, health, and safety among offshore personnel in the light of these developments. Few studies directly compare on...

In recent years, the North Sea oil and gas industry has been exposed to widespread change, including organizational restructuring, "down-sizing", and increased safety regulation. This article reviews the literature on psychosocial stress, health, and safety among offshore personnel in the light of these developments. Few studies directly compare on...

This report describes findings from the analysis of survey data obtained from 1462 male offshore personnel employed on 11 production platforms and 6 drilling rigs operating in the UK sector of the North Sea. All the main occupational groups working offshore took part; the overall response rate was 83%. A wide range of psychosocial information was c...

PSYCHOSOCIAL ASPECTS OF WORK AND HEALTH IN THE NORTH SEA OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY PART V Offshore work/leave schedules: Data analyses and review SUMMARY The work described in this report draws on a variety of sources to examine the psychosocial implications of three-week offshore tours as compared with the more usual two-week tour duration. Little of...

Both Frankenhaeuser and Karasek have put forward models describing how job demand and control influence epinephrine and cortisol levels. These models were tested in a sample of 53 women and 51 men in a variety of occupations. They were studied over one rest day and two working days. Subjects reported their perceived demand and control and their moo...

The sleep patterns of offshore control-room operators were compared with those of personnel carrying out similar work onshore, taking into account individual differences in age, number of years of shiftwork, and neuroticism. The dependent variables were self-reported sleep quality and duration for day-shift (D-S) and night-shift (N-S) work, and dur...

Stress at work and its implications for the mental and physical health of individuals, and the productivity of industry more generally, is currently a topic of widespread interest. Newspaper headlines highlight public concern about work stress and its health consequences; recent examples include, for instance, ‘Teachers blame stress for high divorc...

In this field study, the work schedules of Driving Test Examiners1 were systematically manipulated in a two-period cross-over trial designed to evaluate the effects of workload reduction (from the normal level of nine Driving Tests per day to either eight or seven Tests per day) on alertness. The research formed part of a wider study undertaken at...

This article reviews the role of individual differences in work stress processes, with particular reference to personality and coping as moderator variables. Vulnerability/resilience and person-environment fit (congruence) models of moderator effects are contrasted and relevant issues of methodology and analysis are outlined. Personality traits (lo...

Two studies examined the role of social support in the context of the demand–discretion theory of job stress, with particular reference to additive vs interactive models. In Study 1, data from 145 health-care workers were analyzed using regression methods. Job satisfaction was predicted by the main effect of support, and by the demand × discretion...

The sleep patterns of offshore control-room operators were compared with those of personnel carrying out similar work onshore, taking into account individual differences in age, number of years of shiftwork, and neuroticism. The dependent variables were self-reported sleep quality and duration for day-shift (D-S) and night-shift (N-S) work, and dur...

Research into stress among health care professionals has tended to neglect staff employed in psychiatric settings. This article reports a study of psychiatric health care workers which focuses on objective work factors (job type, and community versus hospital setting) and the subjective work environment (perceived demand, discretion, and supervisor...

This report describes a two-part study of human factors, shift work and alertness in the oil industry, with particular reference to control-room personnel working offshore oil industry.

Synopsis Few empirical studies have examined the mental health of workers on North Sea oil and gas installations, and it is unclear from the available literature whether offshore employees show impaired mental health relative to their onshore counterparts. The present study was intended to clarify this issue by direct comparison of the General Heal...

Research based on Karasek's (1979) model of work stress has produced conflicting results; although some evidence of the demand X discretion interactions predicted by the model has been reported, most studies have failed to demonstrate interactive effects in relation to mental health outcomes. The present article investigates locus of control (LOC)...

The present study tested the hypothesis that direct coping would moderate relations between work stress and mental health outcome, whereas suppression (a form of emotion-focused coping) would show an overall effect on outcome. Data on coping, perceived work demand and support, and affective symptoms were obtained from trainee teachers (N = 157). Th...

This article describes a laboratory study of work preferences (ideal job demand and discretion levels) as moderators of the effects of paced and unpaced work on cognitive and affective responses. Posttest measures of cognitive performance and self-reported stress and arousal were used as outcome measures with covariance control for the correspondin...

Although much research has been carried out into factors which predict the academic performance of undergraduates, less attention has been given to predictors of success in postgraduate training. In the present study, the extent to which demographic, academic and attitudinal factors predicted the teaching practice and coursework performance of Post...

The “Spheres of Control” (SOC) scale and the extraversion, neuroticism and lie scales from the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) were administered to a large sample (N = 576) of male subjects in the age range 30–65 yr. The factor structure of the SOC was examined by testing the goodness-of-fit of a series of confirmatory factor models using L...

Hardiness is conceptualised as a personality characteristic which encompasses three component traits (commitment, challenge and control), and acts as a resistance resource mitigating the adverse effects of stressful life events (Kobasa, 1979). A number of empirical studies in the U.S. have demonstrated its role in moderating stress-illness relation...

This article reports a longitudinal study of relative weight, smoking, and mental health as predictors of medically certified sickness and unauthorized absence from work among student nurses (N = 185). Information about smoking, relative weight, and self-reports of somatic complaints and social dysfunction was obtained prior to the 33-month period...

Theoretical models emphasize the importance of person and environmental variables in stress and coping processes. This article examines individual differences (extraversion and neuroticism), environmental factors (social support and work demand), and situational characteristics (type of stressful episode and its perceived importance) as predictors...

Structural Modeling by Example offers a comprehensive overview of the application of structural equation models in the social and behavioural sciences and in educational research. It is devoted in roughly equal proportions to substantive issues and to methodological ones. The substantive section comprises case studies of the use of these models in...

The literature on the dimensional structure of Rotter’s Locus of Control Scale presents a confused picture, with solutions ranging from two to nine factors reported. In the present study, Revelle and Rocklin’s (1979) ‘Very Simple Structure’ (VSS) method was used to determine the optimum number of interpretable factors to extract from the 23-item sc...

This article examines stressful episodes reported by student nurses (N = 150) interviewed during the early stages of their training at two general hospitals. The approach is qualitative rather than empirical, and the paper focuses on how students perceive and interpret the day-to-day demands and frustrations they encounter in the course of their wo...

Synopsis Evidence relating smoking and neuroticism is inconsistent; some studies report no significant relationship, while others report a positive association. The present study examined smoking in relation to neuroticism (N), extraversion (E) and psychoticism (P), in the light of predictions that interactions between N and E, and between N and P,...

Investigated locus of control and coping processes in relation to specific stressful episodes reported by 171 female student nurses. Scores of each of 3 measures (General Coping, Direct Coping, and Suppression) that were derived from the Ways of Coping Questionnaire were analyzed to examine the role of appraisal (in terms of the extent to which the...

This paper discusses two of the most widely used types of psychological measures employed in field studies of occupational adaptation: measures of task characteristics and the work environment more generally, and measures of mental health and well-being. Broadbent’s paper in this volume points out the advantages of using measures of this type, and...

192 female student nurses from 2 hospitals were administered the Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire and a measure of smoking behavior. Sickness and absence data were taken from Ss' training records. Prior to exposure to the work situation, levels of affective distress did not differ significantly between groups differing in smoking behavior (nonsmoke...

164 student nurses were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 ward types such that 2 factors––type of nursing (medical/surgical) and sex of patients––were systematically varied with counterbalancing of order effects. Self-reported levels of affective symptoms and perceptions of the work environment, together with independent data on sickness/absence, perform...

The factor structure of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) was investigated in a non-clinical sample in relation to the role of field dependence (assessed by the Hidden Figures Test) in influencing the extent to which different aspects of psychoneurotic disturbance are differentiated. Greater differentiation was achieved by the field independen...

This paper describes a questionnaire measure of self-reported failures in perception, memory, and motor function. Responses to all questions tend to be positively correlated, and the whole questionnaire correlates with other recent measures of self-reported deficit in memory, absent-mindedness, or slips of action. The questionnaire is however only...

Our knowledge base for understanding the day-to-day stresses on ICU nurses has greatly expanded during the last decade, far beyond that based on the conclusions of a fledgling study published in this Journal. Some of the research issues addressed in that study have been resolved (e.g. differences in stress experienced by ICU vs. non-ICU nurses); ot...

The extent to which anxiety, irritability and depression were differentiated as separate entities associated with characteristic patterns of somatic and cognitive symptoms by field dependent (FD) and field independent (FI) normal female subjects was studied with the Hidden Figures Test and Unpleasant Emotions Questionnaire. In the FI group the corr...

SYNOPSIS The effects of social desirability and defensiveness on scores on 2 self-report psychiatric inventories, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire (MHQ) were investigated in a female subject group assessed for research purposes in an occupational setting. It was found that defensiveness did not affect...

BLDSC reference no.: D190973. Supervisor: Dr. Katharine Parkes. Thesis (D. Phil.)--University of Oxford, 1995. Includes bibliographical references.

Ninety-one male and 36 female paraplegic and tetraplegic patients at the National Spinal Injuries Centre, Stoke Mandeville, were the subject of a study to determine the body dimensions and space requirements of wheelchair users with spinal cord lesions.Apparatus was designed to measure nine anthropometric body dimensions, including head height, eye...